The BBC's Philippa Thomas"This is the political advert that's run more than 4 thousand times" real 56kBill Cook of the Advertising Research Foundation"The Democrats have turned this around and shoot the Republicans with their own gun" real 28k

Tuesday, 12 September, 2000, 15:43 GMT 16:43 UK

Democrats smell campaign rat

Democrats see it as another embarrassment for Bush

The Republican presidential candidate, George W Bush, has denied that his team planted the word "Rats" as a subliminal message in a television advertisement criticising his Democrat opponent Al Gore.

Mr Gore's aides seized on the 30-second ad, giving a slowed-down version of it to the New York Times. They said a Democrat in Seattle had spotted the apparently subliminal message after a close inspection.

The word 'bureaucrats' ends with 'rats' just like the word 'Democrat'. It is a spot about health care. It's not a spot about rodents

Alex Castellanos, ad maker

The advertisement deals with one of the main domestic issues of the campaign - the provision of prescription drugs for the elderly.

It shows an image of Vice-President Al Gore, followed by fragments of the words "Bureaucrats decide". The word "RATS" briefly flashes on the screen before the entire word "bureaucrats" appears.

The ad has been broadcast in several key states. It contrasts the rival candidates' plans for prescription drugs, saying senior citizens will have more control over their health care under Mr Bush's proposals.